Generation 18

This is the second in the Spook Squad series. Don't read it if you haven't read Memory Zero; it won't make sense without the first book. Here, Arthur has Sam and Gabriel trying to catch a killer while continuing to delve into the mystery that is Sam's past. Arthur does a great job of writing this sort of futuristic paranormal novel. The plot flows well, the world is well-conceived and imaginative, and the character development continues nicely. This is a worthy follow-up to Memory Zero. However, as with the other books in this series, I'm left wondering why it is so short. Most books in this genre are significantly longer, and I'm convinced Arthur is a good enough author to be able to expand her stories just a tad and still maintain their quality.

Sam Ryan is now working for the SIU, or Spook Squad instead of her original job with the state police. Her paranormal talents are growing by leaps and bounds. Her partner Gabriel Stern, is still confusing the heck out of her. He doesn't want a partner, especially Sam, yet sometimes, he actually seems to like her. The kite monsters are still attacking people in the city and the serial killer Gabe is after has stepped up his/her schedule. Sam still has no memory of her past, but dreams of someone named Joshua, and has a mind link to a hairy guy named "Joe Black", or so he says. Everything seems to be linked to a genetic experiment called Generation 18, and an older one called Penumbra, but little information is available from the military base they originated from. Sam seems to be connected to the base also, but she doesn't know how, and hopes to live long enough to find out. This was a good sequel to Memory Zero, the story is further developed and so are the characters. The reader is left dangling though and the next book won't be out for a year, darn!!